Expectations
by Nightmares-N-Daydreams
Summary: Takes place immediately after Avengers. Need a say SPOILERS? Narrowly escaping Asgard after a terrible battle with Thor leaves Loki without his memories. This will probably end up being FrostIron. M for possible later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Takes place immediately after Avengers (need a say SPOILERS?). Narrowly escaping Asgard after a terrible battle with Thor leaves Loki without his memories. I'm usually a Thor x Loki fan, but this will probably end up being Tony x Loki. Yaoi warning (if you don't know what that means, gtfo.). Rated M for possible later chapters.**

* * *

The high pitched clang of metal chains clashed with the low clap of sure feet against concrete, creating a sound that seemed to reverberate through the air. Even as the cold muzzle entombed Loki's mouth, his inimical, green eyes gave off an icy smirk as they stared straight ahead. As he reached his destination, he stopped to reach out a hand. Long, pale fingers brushed along the Tesseract, feeling the magnificent hum of power that it gave off, before swiftly closing around the handhold opposite his brother's and giving the device a sharp twist.

Such a vast power, a power now lost to him, held such vast potential. The pain of having it in his hands and yet so absurdly out of reach nearly made Loki's knees buckle when paired with the body-wrenching sensation of being transported back to Asgard. Still, Loki refused to show any sort of weakness in front of his 'brother.'

As the crackling blue energy faded away, leaving the throne room of Asgard in its wake, Loki's unyielding eyes continued to stare forward. Irate, blue spheres glared right back. For a long moment, nothing but silent anger passed between the two siblings.

Suddenly, Loki was sprawled across the floor, wiping blood from his eyebrow; the permeating echo left from his hammer against his brother's head being the only evidence that Thor had actually moved.

"How _dare_ you attack Earth?" Thor's voice rang out. "How dare you put their people at such risk?"

A slight coughing noise could be heard as Loki attempted to snicker around the constantly restricting muzzle on his face. He slowly began to rise. Before rising above a kneeling stance, however, Thor responded with a harsh kick to the side of Loki's head. The vile, metal restraint bounced across the pristine floor, skidding to a slow halt.

"Those _people_," spat Loki, "were made to be ruled. And I made to rule."

"You threatened the life and home of the woman I _love_!" Thor bellowed. Loki grinned, a hand sliding across his lips; more blood stained the pale skin as he pulled it away.

"And why, might I ask, would your mewling quim of a woman even matter to me?" Loki hissed. As hurt touched briefly upon the Thunder god's furious countenance, Loki took the small opening to get back on his feet.

"We are brothers, you and I." Thor declares.

"Sentiments, _brother_." Loki spits the second word mockingly. "Things I do not have." He takes a slow step to the side. "You and I share no blood, nor have we nor shall we ever."

"We grew up together!" Thor objects.

"_I grew up in your shadow!_" Loki growls, a soft, metallic song resounding through the room as his manacled fists clench. "_Each_ and _every_ day I was reminded of your _greatness_, reminded of your inevitable ascension to the throne." Loki's eyes flicker to said chair of power, a mixture of lust, hatred, and envy embedded deep in the green irises.

"Father could have given the crown to either one of us. It was never certain I would become King…" Thor says quietly.

"You and I remember our childhood rather…differently." He says the final word carefully, a small, bitter smile grazing his lips. "The great Odin said it himself; we were both born to be kings, but he never meant for me to rule Asgard. No, it was the Frost Giants I was fated to preside over. With Jotunheim's end, what better way to satisfy my purpose than to give humanity myself to worship?" Loki smiles pridefully, his hands spread as wide as the shackles will allow.

"We could have ruled together, brother." Thor said sadly. Loki apprehensively watched as his sibling carefully set the Tesseract down on the throne. Thor then reached down and took up the muzzle from where it had slid to a stop on the floor. Loki's eyes never left the abhorrent, metal restraint in Thor's hands as he slowly sidestepped toward the throne. He knew his brother was regrettably devising Loki's punishment as Thor stared forlornly at the object. "It's what our father had wanted, you by my side."

"_Your_ father!" Loki burst out. Thor flinched, but otherwise did not respond.

"You're being condemned to isolated incarceration." The words fell out of Thor's mouth in a near whisper. Loki could not mishear them, however. They echoed in his head, erasing all other thought. _Isolated incarceration_. The words froze Loki in place as Thor closed the distance between them and reattached the muzzle to Loki's fear stricken face.

Thor's words alone threatened Loki's sanity. Small, dark spaces stole the mischievous god's ability to think or even breathe. He was meant to be revered, craved the attention and adoration of others. Isolated incarceration would surely end him. How could Thor do this, insist that their growing up together meant something and then play on a childhood fear that left Loki so very frozen inside? Loki's jaw clenched under the metal hindrance, he would not go.

Loki spun, swinging his leg up to meet the side of Thor's head. Before his brother could have a chance to react, Loki dashed toward the Tesseract as he tore at the muzzle sequestering his mouth. Clearly programmed not to react to his touch, it would not budge.

Half a second before Loki's fingers closed on the power source's handles, he was brought down by all of Thor's weight. The siblings thrashed across the floor as they battled. A fist connected with the side of Loki's skull, reopening his already split eyebrow.

As the clash moved both brothers to standing positions, Loki again caught Thor with a resilient kick. The blow, landing on his chest, threw the blonde halfway across the grand room. Loki was at the throne, Tesseract in hand, as Thor landed already in a stance to retaliate. The smirk was back in Loki's eyes as Thor shot into the air with a yell.

As Thor's arc descends, hammer aimed carefully, Loki's fingers lock around the handholds of the Tesseract. Thor's blow meets its target, the side of Loki's head, with immeasurable force just as Loki activates the cube of power.

* * *

**And so Loki was caught for 5 minutes.**

**Awhhhh... Loki is claustrophobic. D:  
**

**Please let me know what you think! Reviews are loved.  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**WHAT? I HAVE A FINAL TOMORROW? FUCKTHATNOISE. My readers are more important. I love you guys.  
**

**No, but srsly, thanks for all the wonderful feedback. It was completely unexpected. I hope I don't disappoint now.  
**

* * *

_He was nowhere, but how could that be? Wasn't he everywhere? Or was he here? Existence was a solid being; a creature trying to consume him. It wrapped him in a blanket… but then, how was it tearing him apart?_

_He was devoured. He was free of thought, free of time and borders; and still, the pain imprisoned him. Endless and unforgiving._

_Maybe this was the end. _The end of what? _A thought?_

_Suddenly, all was blindingly bright, and nothing hurt._

_Or was it everything?_

* * *

"Sir, there appears to be something on the roof."

"…Is it a bird, Jarvis? Throw something at it."

"I do think you'll want to take a look first, sir."

* * *

His fingers clawed frantically at the foreign, metal object encasing his mouth. What was it? Why wouldn't it come off? Instinct told him it didn't belong; he _loathed_ it inherently. It was no use, however; he only succeeded in rubbing raw the skin of his slender fingers.

He stopped suddenly, looking at his abused hands. To whom did these hands belong? Who was he?

There was an 'L', but it continued to escape him. L…

"Loki?"

He — Loki — started at the voice, falling backward. As he hit the ground, he became aware of the throbbing pain that plagued the back of his skull. He stared up, wide-eyed, at the advancing figure. It had a small circle glowing from its chest. Confused, Loki risked a quick scan of to his own chest. Did he have one of those? Nope, that was wrong too, yet somehow familiar… Loki then noticed the obvious combat stance the figure held.

As he tried to recoil, made very difficult by the chain connecting his wrists, Loki hit the edge of the platform he was on. A glance down made him wish he hadn't; he was at the top of an immense tower, inches from falling hundreds of feet. He looked forward again just as the figure – a he, Loki noticed –dropped his defense stance and knelt in front of him. A concerned, but wary look adorned the man's face.

"Loki… do you… not know who I am?" the man asked. Loki closed his eyes for a moment before looking back to meet the eyes in front of him. He shook his head slowly.

* * *

Over-stimulating was the room Loki found himself in. Countless people rushed about, all hurrying to ends unknown to him. It hurt his already battered head. Worse was the way each person halted their progress simply to stare at him; some with confusion, some with fear, and many with hatred.

Who was he to these people?

…In fact, who was he at all?

The man from the roof – Stark, he said his name was – had a hand on Loki's shoulder, directing him. From the man's disposition, Loki was fairly certain that Stark's grip was meant to be threatening, a warning, but Loki was mostly just reassured by it. It seemed to keep him from falling off the face of the earth.

"Fury!" The voice, so close to his ear, made Loki flinch slightly.

"That's 'Colonel' to you. Or, 'Si —" A menacing-looking man – Fury, Loki guessed— turned toward them, revealing an equally menacing eye patch. "What the f—?"

"Found him on the roof," Stark cut in.

"And he's still alive because…"

Loki, who had been focusing on his feet to help ease his headache, looked up suddenly, startled. Fury stared at him; that hadn't been the reaction he expected. Where was arrogant, smirking Loki?

"How would murdering him on the spot be justice? Aren't we the good guys; heroes and all that?" Stark said somewhat sarcastically, a huge smile crossing his face.

"Since when the hell do _you_ play by the rules, Stark?" Fury asked. Stark raised an eyebrow.

"Do _you_ want to be the one to tell Goldilocks we found his brother…and then immediately killed him?" He questioned. "Besides, he doesn't seem to remember anything. I'm fairly certain he arrived on the roof directly after his escape from Asgard."

"How would that even be possible?" inquired Fury. "That was three months ago."

"I found this," Stark answered, holding up a curious-looking blue cube, "near where I found him." Fury said nothing as he moved toward them, eyeing the object cautiously.

"Plus, look at him," continued Stark. "He's still restrained. I can hardly see him willingly keeping those on for three months."

"This is Loki, God of _Mischief_. Who's to say this isn't part of some ridiculously elaborate plan to take control of Earth? …Again."

Loki couldn't stop himself from balking slightly. What had this man just said?

"It's certainly possible, although I can't help feeling that it isn't. I mean, he's still bleeding for Christ's sake." Stark argued. Fury scrutinized the thoroughly muddled God in question.

"…Fine. Then, until things are sorted out, Loki is being released into your custody. I leave you responsible for him." Taken completely by surprise, Loki allowed himself to be pushed slightly toward Stark.

"Whoa, I don't like to be handed things," Stark declared "And why am I being put in charge of…this?" He gestured toward Loki. "Don't you have any more of those fancy, God-proof boxes?"

"With S.H.E.I.L.D. HQ destroyed and the Hellicarrier still in Repairs, you know we've had no choice but to set up at Stark Tower." Stark looked around at what his tower had temporarily transformed into; a mess. He had to admit it; he wouldn't feel very secure leaving Loki here, with his memories or without.

With a melodramatic sigh, Stark turned Loki around and pushed him toward the door with one finger at his back. The touch still held suspicion, but no longer threat.

"I guess you never did get that drink."

* * *

**So. Many. Feels. I want them to love each other nao.  
**

**What did you think? Reviews are loved! Feel free to tell me what you want out of this, I don't want to disappoint you guys ever.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Let's pretend it hasn't been 3 weeks since my last update...I'm sorry. I passed all my finals though! :D**

**And as a reward, I am at the beach for a week. Sans internet. -_- Currently updating from a McDonald's. On the bright side, i'm literally just going to be writing all week! So my updates should be more frequent once I have internets again! :D  
**

**I apologize for the shortness of this chapter, but i'll have more up soon! (i hope!)  
**

* * *

Deft fingers sought out the small bottle of Scotch waiting on the shelf. The man – Stark, Loki kept reminding himself – swiftly poured two small glasses before sliding one across the table. Loki stared curiously at the mysterious, brown liquid.

Stark downed his drink in one swig and returned his glass to the counter only to find Loki eyeing his movements quizzically. After a moment of sheer confusion, Stark slowly reached across the table. Loki flinched away, slightly alarmed, before allowing Stark to cautiously remove the restraint covering his mouth. As it was pulled away, green eyes met brown for an instant before flickering away. Loki bit his lip, muddled by the small, newfound freedom and unsure of what to do with himself.

"Drink." Stark ordered softly, as if reading his mind. Loki drank, wincing faintly at the unexpected burn in his throat. As he did so, Stark stared at him, trying to process the fact that Loki was drinking his liquor just three feet away...and not once reacting the slightest bit how he would expect.

"So!" Stark said loudly, causing Loki to jump. "No memories. That's rather convenient for you." Loki looked at him, unable to find the convenience in his current situation.

"Look," Stark continued. "I don't know what you're playing at, but I don't like it. I know what I said to Fury, but I had no intention of letting S.H.I.E.L.D. kill you and make an enemy of your brother in the process. I trust them as little as possible and I _sure_ as hell do not trust you."

"Now," he continued after a pause. "Another drink?" He tossed back a second drink of his own even as he refilled Loki's glass. Loki watched as his glass was pushed back across the table toward him before looking back up a Stark.

"…Brother?" Loki said, as if trying the word out.

"If that's all you got out of that, memory loss sure hasn't changed your priorities." Stark sighed. "Tall fellow? Long, golden locks billowing in the breeze? Huge god-complex? Or –" Loki stared blankly at him. "No? Well, that can probably only be a good thing." Loki went back to inspecting the glass in front of him, wondering why he was here, sipping horrid liquids, while his brother and memories remained elsewhere.

"Drink that. It's good for you."

Reluctantly, Loki complied, feeling the warmth of the alcohol as it made its way into his abdomen. He had to admit, he did feel better, lighter, as he returned his glass to the table. He looked back toward Stark expectantly.

"What is that?" he surprised himself by saying as he gestured toward the peculiar circle of blue light emanating from Stark's chest. Stark raised an eyebrow; it did not escape him that these were the first words to have come out of the trickster's mouth.

"Fashion statement. You like? Now, I suppose you'll be wanting somewhere to sleep…" Stark turned and walked down a small hallway, leaving behind an utterly confused Loki. Loki shook his head a fraction, as if to clear it after the sudden topic change, and then followed after him.

They ended up in front of a plain door near the end of the hallway. Stark hesitated, remembering the state Pepper had left her room in after their recent break-up. He had never bothered to go near the room, let alone clean it. Slowly, he eased the door open, wincing. It was worse than he remembered. He walked in, trying to ignore the marks of Pepper's anger during their last fight; the overturned coffee table, the dresses he had given her over the years thrown about the room.

"Sorry about the mess…" Stark said.

Loki nodded and moved toward the wall of windows on the far side of the room, the city lights illuminating his face.

"Right. Well, let me know if you, uh, need anything. Just call my name, JARVIS will hear you." He turned toward the door, his hand already on the knob.

"Mr. Stark?"

"Just Tony. Or Stark. I don't like that 'Mr.' business."

"That man before…" Loki said without turning.

"Fury?"

"He said…he said I tried to take control of…Earth." It came out of his mouth like a question.

"Yeah, that happened." Tony said bluntly.

Loki started and turned, giving Stark an incredulous look before turning back to stare, wide-eyed, out at the city. He brought his arm up to rest it on the glass above his head. A construction site sat two blocks away and he couldn't help but wonder if he was the cause of the gaping hole in the building next to it.

"Why –" The click of the shutting door cut off his question and he was left with memories of the angry, fearful faces of the people down in S.H.I.E.L.D. and what appeared to be an endless supply of questions.

* * *

Tony walked downstairs, replaying Loki's reactions again and again in his head. They were never what he expected out of Loki, but that surely did not mean he was telling the truth about the memory loss. Stark knew full well that Loki was known as the God of Mischief and was aptly named as such. Still, he couldn't help but wonder if the man really was suffering. The look in his eyes upon learning about his plan to control the planet held such sorrow and confusion. He looked genuinely lost.

"JARVIS," Tony said, walking into his workroom. "He so much as sneezes, let me know."

"Of course, sir." JARVIS' voice said. Without being asked, he threw the security feed from Loki's room up onto one of the screens. Tony sat and scrutinized his current project. "Sir, is that the greatest idea with the current situation?"

"I don't know what he's up to, but I'm not letting his presence affect my ability to work on this. If anything, his being here gives me more cause to finish it."

* * *

**theyneedtoloveeachothernow.**

**Reviews are loved.  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm just going to go right ahead and never promise a quick update ever again. Naturally, the minute I do is the minute a chapter starts to give me some serious 'tude. Plus, it's just been work, work, work, work, work, Tumbl, work, work, work, work, work, work, work, write, work, sleep. And I'm currently in the process of making 4 different cosplays.**

**Also, Harry Potter is on.  
**

**Also, Excuses.  
**

**READ ON. 3**

* * *

Time passed quickly…for Tony. It passed as it always did, in skipped meals and missed sleep, as he shut himself away in his workroom.

For Loki, time became an excruciating enemy. For a long while, he simply stared out his windows, night and day, at the city he nearly destroyed.

As he looked out the window this night – or perhaps morning at this point – the angered faces of the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents downstairs grew larger in his mind until he could no longer ignore them; with little else to fill his head, they ate at him.

He closed his eyes, rubbing his temple as he willed the angry, fearful expressions to leave and his memories to return. Going on 3 weeks with such desolation inside his mind was more than taking its toll. Opening his eyes, he glanced at the bed he had vacated just moments ago.

Darkness. He had dreamed of such elegantly simple, unbearable darkness – _emptiness_ – until his own screaming had startled him awake. Giving up on any notion of falling back to sleep, he brushed past his bed and headed for the door, unable to bear being between his walls any longer.

As expected, he met with a vacant hallway. In the dark, he maneuvered his way through the now familiar maze of Stark's penthouse toward the library. During the last few days of his boredom, he had explored every inch of his tiny world, which consisted solely of the top floor of Stark Tower; and found just yesterday, Tony's library had quickly become Loki's favorite place to be. Hours had already been spent silently absorbing knowledge from pages. Loki had found such comfort in it, such familiarity.

When noise came from the kitchen, Loki halted his walk toward said library and peered inside. The peculiar robotic device that brought his meals everyday was struggling with the toaster. Loki glanced at the clock. 4:37 a.m. Just as he began to wonder who in the world would need to eat at this time, his own stomach growled. He cast a look down the hallway toward the library, and then fully entered the kitchen.

At first, he was overwhelmed and unsure of how to help. Deciding, he took the bread from the robot and slid it into the slot in the toaster before pressing the button. He watched and, after a moment, followed suit as the robot moved to crack an egg into the frying pan. Before he could begin to cook them, however, the bread popped out of the toaster, causing Loki to jump.

Before he had even realized it, he had prepared an entire meal. For nearly twenty minutes, he had not worried about the people in S.H.I.E.L.D. He did not long for his memories or wonder about his brother. He was smiling sadly at the two plates on the counter in front of him when he heard someone coming up the stairs. He picked up the plate he had arranged for Stark.

* * *

Tony Stark rushed into the kitchen, yesterday's shirt wrinkled and hair a mess, with his eyes glued to the tablet in his hand. His empty hand reached for the plate of food in front of him.

"Thanks, Dum-E. I—" Tony stopped as he noticed the very much not-robotic hand attached to the opposite side of the plate. Tony dragged his eyes up Loki's arm until they met with Loki's confused face.

"'Dummy'?" Loki asked.

"Just the, uh, robot's name. Shouldn't you be, I don't know, asleep? Do gods do that?" Stark asked in return.

"Shouldn't you?" Loki countered, filing away the 'god' comment.

"Sleeping's not really my style. Too much else to do." Tony responded around a mouthful of toast.

"Yes, you seem all about style…"

"Mmfh." Tony grabbed a fork and retreated back downstairs.

"J.A.R.V.I.S." As he entered his lab, Stark held out his plate. "Scan this."

"Already done, sir. Nothing present that shouldn't be."

Tony nodded and finished his toast as he checked all of his screens. Frustrated and exhausted, he rubbed his eyes. He had two major projects in the works, one of which was not going his way.

"How am I supposed to get any data? I'm starting to believe what I told Fury to keep him from executing Loki. Maybe this isn't a trick. It's been three weeks and he hasn't made a single move…at least any I can see." Tony mused.

"Loki has just exited Stark Tower by way of the balcony upstairs." J.A.R.V.I.S. interrupted.

"But I was just –! Ugh…"

* * *

The sun was coming up; that was the first thing Loki noticed after his initial fear dissipated. It threw brilliant streaks of pink and orange across the horizon. Enthralled, Loki sat and watched as the light creeped along the buildings of New York City. It was the first time he had been outside since his arrival.

Loki's hand lazily stretched out and started to twist slowly in the air. A small green light began weaving itself around his slender fingers. It was a small trick Loki discovered soon after closing himself in his new quarters. Although he couldn't remember it, it made him think of home. It calmed him as he gazed across the city.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Tony's voice interrupted his reverie, causing him to jump and drop his hand. "Don't jump off my balcony again. Please?" Loki's eyes widened in disbelief. "Yeah, that also happened."

"Am I—" Loki swallowed. "Is it okay that I'm out here?"

"I suppose I never said you couldn't come out here. I'm curious as to what made you want to, though."

Loki shrugged. "Boredom, I suppose. And…" He made a helpless gesture. "Suffocation? I…" He looked up. "I don't seem to handle four walls very well." Stark raised an eyebrow.

"How would you like to help me out in the lab?"

Loki was silenced for a moment by the abruptness of the question. "What would I, uh…What could I help with?" he asked, confused.

Tony nodded toward the hand that Loki had dropped at Stark's voice. "I'd like to do some measurements in regard to your magic."

"This?" Loki waved his hand again, prompting the green light. "Is it not normal?"

"It's certainly something." Tony watched Loki's movements. "Think about what I said."

Loki nodded and stared, captivated by his own hand.

Tony turned away and reentered Stark Tower and walked to his bedroom for the first time in days.

"Just keep an eye on him, J.A.R.V.I.S." He ordered as he let himself collapse onto his bed.

"Naturally, sir."

* * *

**There was...there was some plot here somewhere... *looks under laptop* ****Oh well, you'll get it soon (but no promises).  
**

**Reviewwwwws are loved and remind me to continue writing. So do review. C:  
**

**You are lovely for reading.  
**(Also, I have this idea for another frostiron fic which I might start. So keep an eye out for that. :P)


	5. Chapter 5

**I am genuinely amazed that none of you have tracked me down and killed me yet. I am so sorry for the wait.**

**If you're still following this, you are lovely and I thank you. c:**

* * *

Loki awoke a few days later with Stark's offer still on his mind. One more look around his room and his decision was practically made for him. He couldn't sit here any longer. There were only so many books he could read before he simply went mad. He needed something else to distract him from the void in his head. Tentatively, Loki asked the ceiling where he could find Tony and J.A.R.V.I.S. explained how to get downstairs.

Soon after, Loki found himself standing outside the glass wall entrance of Tony's workshop, unsure of how to proceed. He didn't see the scientist, but it was a large room and countless machines blocked his view. After a moment, J.A.R.V.I.S. unlocked the door and gave Loki permission to enter. As soon as Loki pulled open the door, he was hit with a wall of sound. Music blasted throughout the room. Suddenly, a blur of red and gold washed across his memory.

_His memory?_ A large square in front of a marble building formed a blurry image in his head. He stepped further into the workshop, hoping to coax out more of the memory. Feeling helpless as nothing else came, he turned abruptly and nearly fell into a partially complete suit of metal. He stared, wide-eyed, at the same red and gold that had graced his mind a moment ago. Still utterly confused, he reached a hand toward it.

"Thought about my offer, have you?" Stark's voice seemed to come out of nowhere. Loki spun and found Tony standing with a rough, metal contraption on one hand and screwdriver in the other. No doubt, he had just been working. "Are you ever going to not jump when I talk to you?"

"I—well, you…You sneak up a lot." Loki admitted. Tony looked toward the open workshop door.

"So do you, evidently."

"Oh," Loki noticed his gaze. "You're, um, ceiling let me in."

"Mmm." Tony raised an eyebrow at his ceiling skeptically. "His name is J.A.R.V.I.S. So, are you here about my offer then?"

Loki gave a small nod.

"Well!" Stark attempted to clap his hands together and was promptly jabbed by the gauntlet he had been working on. Wincing, he flexed his fingers. "Oops. Let's get started, shall we?"

* * *

An hour later, Loki was almost beginning to regret his decision to help out. Tony had wanted to begin small, and so Loki had conjured the mysterious green light for Stark to measure. And then he did so again. And again. And again still. As Loki sat and questioned Stark's music choice, his wrist ached from the weight of the numerous wires taped to his arm and hand. He tried to be thankful that at least he was no longer stuck in his room; he hated the smothered feeling it still gave him.

Tony's mood appeared to reflect Loki's. He had started the project with excitement and enthusiasm, but now he seemed unsure of how to proceed. He sat, glaring at his notes in front of him. Frustrated, he sighed and he ran a hand through his hair, causing it to stick up strangely. Loki smirked and took Tony's notes in his hand. He glanced over them, genuinely interested.

"I think you're going about this the wrong way." He finally said. Stark looked at him, surprised.

"You can understand that?" he asked. Loki nodded and pointed to a section of letters and numbers on the page.

"Right here," he explained. "You're trying to treat what I can manipulate as a variable when you should be using it as a constant–" He stopped when he noticed Tony staring at him instead of the equation he was attempting to clarify. "What do you think I did for the last month? You're library is significantly lacking in some decent literature, by the way."

"I don't have time for novels. I hardly sleep as it is." Tony defended. "Now, go back to what you were saying about this theory."

"Well," Loki continued. "The best way I can think to explain it is that it's similar to an electromagnetic wave – most like a radio wave probably – and I'm the antennae as well as the tuner. It's always present; I just tune in and influence it." Tony stared at his notes in amazement as Loki spoke.

"I could kiss you, you crazy psychopath!" Stark exclaimed as he began writing frantically. Loki laughed nervously, unsure of how to respond. His eyes wandered to another table covered in notes and blueprints. Intrigued, he moved closer.

They didn't seem to be in any sort of order. Not that that surprised Loki; Stark's workplace was as haphazard as his mind. He rifled through them, interested in the mechanics behind some of Stark's inventions. There was one for some sort of gauntlet; it looked similar to what Tony had been working on that morning. Another depicted some strange glowing staff. One page, half buried under twelve others, had a chaotic diagram slashed across it. Words like _Tesseract_ and _Chitauri _stood to him; and one at the top, _Loki_.

Quickly, Loki glanced up at Stark. He was still filling up his papers with nearly illegible scribbling. Loki swiftly folded the paper and slid it into his pocket. As he turned back to help Tony more, a paper drifted off the table. Loki reached down to retrieve it and was greeted with a miniature sketch of the suit he had almost knocked over earlier. He stared at the design again, perplexed by its familiarity.

"Like it?" Tony was suddenly right next to him. Startled, Loki nodded. "A lot of power goes into it. Not too much stands a chance against me when I'm in that suit." Loki offered the drawing to Stark, whose eyes remained on the Asgardian. Tony took the paper silently, his fingers accidentally brushing the other's.

Loki's eyes wandered toward the real suit, the red and gold filling his mind with confusion again.

"Like a boot to an ant." Loki said, unsure of where the words came from.

* * *

**I can't science. I don't know if you noticed.**


End file.
